The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 36 The Poison of Power
A light laugh: "Of course you can. But if you choose to give up, you are destined to have nothing."

“Not everyone understands the truth. Even if they do, it’s not easy to do it.”

"How many people can control their emotions, their desires, and all their actions? People are greedy. Once the throne is seized, not only the one sitting on the throne can enjoy the glory and wealth."

"In this process, all those who contribute can obtain wealth and glory that they may never get. In the face of such rewards, no one can remain calm."

Zhao Ji asked again: "There must be people who understand these principles and do not fight for them. There must be people who do not have such great ambitions."

"That's right, but relationships between people are complicated. Everyone has their own ideas. Just because you are close to them or because they are your subordinates or juniors, they will not necessarily listen to you."

"The boss also has his own difficulties. You are the boss only if your subordinates support you. If they don't support you, you are nothing. The boss cannot ignore the opinions of the majority of the people below. On the contrary, if the majority of the people below agree with something, the boss must do it, no matter how reluctant he is, even if it means he will die."

"In the power arena, if you don't advance, you will retreat. The higher you are, the more this is true, and the more cruel it is. Not fighting? How can you just say you won't fight? How can it be so easy that you can just say you want it and then not want it?"

"The struggle for power is a life-and-death struggle, not a child's game of house. If you lose, you die, and if you die, your whole family dies. This is the price of holding power."

"Power is poison. The only antidote is power itself. Without power, the poison will kill you."

"There are also emotional implications. If someone close to you wants to fight, and is already fighting. Even if the chances of winning are slim, can you just watch him fail? Especially if he fails, he might die."

"When you are in a situation, you have no choice."

"Everyone has emotions and feelings. There is no completely rational person in this world, because a completely rational person is definitely not a human being."

"The saints' principles are written there, how many people can follow them? If knowing the principles would allow us to follow them, the world would have been a harmonious place long ago."

"People are complicated, just like the king. Doesn't he understand that his love for the queen has worn off? But the king still did many things."

"Similarly, even if the king loves the queen very much, he still needs to suppress the Chu clan, and he will still suppress them."

"The same goes for the queen. The queen also hopes that her relatives can be more honest, but they just want to fight. What can the queen do? Can she really watch them die? Besides, the queen also wants her relatives to live a better life."

"Power is a vortex. The intricate relationships pull everyone in. No one can escape, especially those of us at the center. There are too many people who want to replace it."

Zhao Ji shook her head and sighed: "Zheng'er, you should be tired too, right?"

"People like you have so many thoughts every day. I really don't know what you are fighting for. Isn't it good enough now? You have wealth and glory."

Ying Zheng chuckled: "It's tiring, but we enjoy it."

'Besides, my stupid mother! Aren't we fighting for these things just to make ourselves and the people around us live better? You don't have any pressure because your father and I will help you bear it in the future.'

'And all this wealth and splendor is a matter of progress or regression. A noble must fight for it, unless he no longer wants to be a noble. Wealth and splendor can never be kept. Wealth and splendor are like fire, which requires constant addition of fuel, and fuel can only be obtained by robbing.'

'And power is the most powerful weapon.'

Ying Zheng thought for a moment and said:
"Let's not talk about this for now. There is one more thing. We need to prepare the gifts we brought back from Zhao. When father comes back in the evening, you should give his portion to him personally. Tomorrow you will go to see the queen and bring the portion for the king as well. Then ask the queen to present it to the king on your behalf."

"It's not appropriate to pay respect to the queen tomorrow, so go pay respect to grandmother immediately to prevent the queen from thinking too much. After we come back, we will go to meet Mi Yu and her son. We will visit grandmother the day after tomorrow and give her the gift."

As night fell, Zichu finished his business and returned to the Prince's Palace.

He went straight to Zhao Ji, but Ying Zheng had already returned to the palace.

As soon as Zichu entered the palace, he hugged Zhao Ji in his arms and kissed her twice.

He asked, "Where's Zheng'er?"

"Zheng'er went back a long time ago. He still needs to practice martial arts."

Zichu nodded with satisfaction: "Be more diligent. I went to Zongzheng today and everything has been settled." Zichu handed Zhao Ji a jade pendant inlaid with a black bird pattern and gold: "This is a royal token. You will hand it over to Zheng'er tomorrow. Instruct him to carry it with you and never lose it."

As soon as Zhao Ji took the jade pendant, Zichu started to act naughty.

Zhao Ji rolled her eyes at him and said coquettishly, "Wait a minute. I have something else to tell you."

Zichu was already anxious: "Let's talk later, let's get down to business first."

Without waiting for Zhao Ji to say anything, he carried Zhao Ji in his arms and walked towards the bed.

Half an hour later, the two people who had already bathed sat together and prepared to have some midnight snack.

After all, Zichu didn’t even have dinner when he came back.

Zhao Ji was only wearing a light veil. After a passionate bath, her face was as rosy as a lotus emerging from water.

"By the way, what did you want to say to me just now?" Zichu then remembered that Zhao Ji had something to say.

"It's too formal to meet my father today, and my mother can't say anything. I think tomorrow our family of three should go to meet my mother separately. When I came back from Zhao, I also bought some Zhao-style gifts, which are just right for my mother."

"We have also prepared our mother's, but it is better not to go on the same day. Let's go to mother's the day after tomorrow."

Zichu asked, "Why do you suddenly have this idea?"

"I am your first wife, and Zheng'er is your eldest son. You must be respectful to the queen mother. Besides, the queen mother has a special status after all, so you should let her feel at ease."

Zichu was a little surprised. In his impression, Zhao Ji didn't seem like someone who would think so much. How could she have grown so much in Zhao State in recent years?
Surprised, he asked, "Did you come up with this idea yourself?"

Zhao Ji was a little embarrassed: "Zheng'er said so."

But he immediately said confidently: "But I also think it makes sense, I support it!"

Zichu was surprised at first, then happy, and nodded gently:

"Okay, Zheng'er is right. Tomorrow we will meet the Queen Mother alone and follow your arrangements."

Zhao Ji nodded: "The gifts are ready."

Zichu said jokingly, "You are quite well prepared."

She didn't know where her two hands had reached, and Zhao Ji's already delicate body became even weaker.

"I don't know about another thing, madam, are you ready? Hahaha." That only earned a glance from the beauty, her autumn eyes full of water and affection.

Zichu said this and pounced on him with a big laugh.

The next day, Zichu and his party went to Huayang Palace to pay a visit to Queen Huayang.

When they arrived at the palace gate, the eunuchs informed them and summoned them for an audience.

All of them pay their respects: "Greetings to the Queen Mother (Grandmother)."

Queen Huayang got down from her seat herself, helped the others up, and said with a smile, "Everyone, get up quickly."

Queen Huayang pulled Ying Zheng to her side and praised him repeatedly: "What a good boy! Come and sit next to your grandmother."

When Zhao Ji saw Queen Huayang's actions, she understood in her heart, "The queen is indeed a smart person, just as Zheng'er said."

(End of this chapter)